Deck Polishing / Waxing Compound

Member

I have just about completed refurbishing my Sunfish and need to complete the job by cleaning up the deck. It is not in too bad of a condition, just faded, dirty and somewhat scratched up. There are so many cleaning / waxing compounds out there I thought I would ask to see if there are any recommendations as to the brand and type I should use. I know some of them are very abrasive and can do more harm than good.

Desert Sailor !

Well, I just freshened up a '75 'fish, my sister "gave" me, after it spend last 12 years being stored in the barn! Gel-coat was pretty dirty and stained, and lots discolored from years of canvas cover , etc, rubbing on the deck & hull surfaces.

I just used an automotive rubbing compound, and a Sears Craftsman orbital buffer. It polished out pretty and not looks pretty good.

I've heard pros and cons about using wax, as it makes the deck very slippery? So....thought I would postpone any wax finish until I hear from more experienced sailers, about whether a wax finish, or some other fiinish, or no finish at all, is best.

But, I would recommend auto polish compound to take the surface crud of the gel-coat! You can do it by hand, or use a orbital buffer, with care.

Desert Sailor !

KJY

Guest

The success I have is using Turtle wax found at discount stores. I tried the very over priced marine waxes they can not even come close to the mirror finish you get with basic turtle wax. I have a 1970 Sunfish and you can see yourself in the finish on the deck also I get comments on how shining it is for an older sailboat ( I wax it ever two week). If I was you I would first wash it then use rubbing compound on the entire sailboat then put a coat of turtle wax on. I always hand rub the rubbing compound and wax on. Make sure you have nice new towels for waxing and do not wax in a sunny area. The finish you will get is worth the time of hand buffing.

Member

Jim,
Take a look at Gelcoat Repair, under Tips and Tricks on the SF Class Home page. Read the whole article and use what you need (maybe from step 16 to the end), bookmark it for future use. What Bob and Kevin suggest is the same as the last couple of steps in the article (compounding/waxing). I did sand and compound the deck and hull on my SF. It was bad, very bad (sat under a tree unprotected for 14 years). After compounding with 3M Marine Super Duty (first) and TurtleWax Polishing Compound (white), I waxed (TurtleWax) the deck and used McLube on the bottom. Everything for cleaning/polishing (except the McLube) is available at Wal-Mart. The boat looks good, many compliments. Good Luck.